Celeriac with Quince in Orange and Lemon Juice

 If someone asked you which items are in season right now, the chances are you would say celeriac, quinces and oranges. Or of course you could say carrots, leeks, and turnips!

seasonal veg from the market

But this is the season par excellence for celeriac or kereviz. I love it, that strange knobbly root vegetable that has the smell of celery but is so very different. I had never seen it before I came to Turkey.  At this time of year most Turkish households will have zeytinyağlı kereviz in the fridge but here is a new recipe for a different take on an old favourite and it comes via my friend Oya.

I love quince and think it is highly undervalued here as the primary use seems to be for ayva tatlısı /quince dessert ie baked in the oven and served with  kaymak or buffalo cream. I love it, yes, but it is so much more versatile than that. Awkward  to peel but so easy to cook with an aroma that will fill your house with delight.

the finished dish of celeriac cooked with quince in orange and lemon juice

This recipe combines celeriac and quince which are then  gently cooked in orange juice and lemon. Both tastes and textures complement each other and the beautiful green of the chopped dill to garnish the dish makes this celeriac dish the perfect zeytinyağlı to round off a meal.

it's cooked in the juice of 2 oranges like this

Ingredients for Celeriac with Quince and Orange/Ayva ve Portakallı Zeytinyağlı Kereviz

Serves 6 – 8

celeriac with quince

2 large celeriac/kereviz (850 g)

2 carrots

1 large quince/ayva (pron: eye/vah)

2 onions, chopped

½ cup olive oil

Juice of 2 – 3 oranges

1 dessert spoon sugar

1 tsp salt

Juice of 1 lemon + ½ a lemon to make the acidulated water

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

Parsley or dill, to garnish

Method

·         Peel the celeriac and slice. Put into a bowl of acidulated water (water with the juice of ½ lemon). This is to keep the celeriac from discolouring.

halve the slices if too large

·         Halve and then quarter the quince. Peel and remove core. Cut into rough chunks and add to the acidulated water.

chopping the quince and carrots

·         Peel the carrots and cut into batons.

·         Chop the onions, place in the pan with the olive oil, sugar and salt. Cook till soft and transparent. Add the carrots and garlic and mix gently.

like this ...

·         Add the quince and celeriac, then the orange juice and lemon juice. Cover with the lid and bring to a fast boil. Then lower the heat and cook gently for 40 mins. When the carrots are done, the dish is ready. Leave to cool in the pan.

adding the juice to the pan

·         Arrange in a shallow dish and garnish with either chopped parsley or dill. Serve at room temperature.

close-up of the finished dish



afiyet olsun!

 If you like celeriac, have a look at these:

Celeriac Carpaccio

Two More Celeriac Recipes

Minced Beef with Mint and Parsley: a Dish from Antakya

minced beef with mint and parsley baked in the oven 

I am slightly disappointed with my newly-acquired cookbook Antakya – City and Cuisine.

The pictures are fabulous but the recipes leave a lot to be desired in terms of detail or rather lack of. If I were a novice cook, I would be confused.

So you have to rely on me!

the mint, parsley, red pepper and garlic ready to go

Today I had some of my huge bunch of mint to use up and also one stray red pepper, the long thin kind not the bell pepper kind. I didn’t want to have to consign it to the bin.  I also wanted to make something with mince meat and I knew that many of the recipes in my new cookbook incorporated it so I had a quick flip-through.

you need a lot of parsley

Sure enough, there was something with all my ingredients so I thought why not? A nice new taste from Antakya.  I love using fresh local produce and this was certainly  a recipe like that: lots of mint and parsley, and I mean lots, plus one red pepper! Perfect! And I had paid a visit to my friendly local butcher so I had some lovely-looking kıyma/mince to hand. This recipe is certainly not difficult and the result is delicious: it's one big herby köfte!

Ingredients for Minced Beef with Mint and Parsley

Serves 4 – 6

500g/ ½ lb minced beef/dana kıyması

1 bunch parsley/maydonoz

½ bunch fresh mint/nane

1 red pepper/kırmızı biber

5 garlic cloves

1 tsp cumin/kimyon

Salt and black pepper to taste

I tomato, quartered, 1 thin green pepper (optional)

Method

·        Pre-heat oven to 180°C/ 350°F.

from this ....

....to this

·        Roughly chop the parsley, mint, red pepper and garlic and then put in the food processor. Mix well. In a bowl, add to the mince meat and knead with your hands until thoroughly mixed. Add cumin and seasoning to taste.

·        Oil the baking tray or round tin (approx 24 cm/ 9 -10 inches) that you are going to use and with your hands spread the meat mixture evenly in it.

ready to go in the oven

·        Place the quartered tomato and long thin green pepper on top of the mixture if using.

·         Sprinkle a little water over the top and cook for 30 mins in the pre-heated oven.

a minced beef dish from Antakya/Antioch

Serve with a pilaf of either rice or bulgur and you will have a delicious family supper.

Afiyet olsun!

Fungus Foray in the Belgrade Forest

Another great autumnal Sunday in Istanbul.

This time we were in the company of someone who not only knew all about the Ottoman waterworks and settlements in the Belgrade Forest - a huge natural forest on the European side of Istanbul  going north  towards the Black Sea - but also about the considerable mushroom life that exists there. An unlikely combination but irresistible!

the second of the three 18th century Ottoman dams we saw

An early start from Arnavutköy in our comfortable bus took us to Bahçeköy where we stopped for breakfast at  Tarihi Bilice Borekçisi, a very well-known place offering amazing börek. Ours were filled with either cheese or mince and little black currants/kuşüzümü. This was served with  glasses of çay, just the thing to fortify us for the day ahead as lunch wasn’t on the agenda till much later. We had a lot of walking to do, five kilometres to be exact!

freshly-made: hot and tasty

The weather was almost ideal: no rain, no wind, not too cold.  We were the only people about. Our guide who is an expert on the history of the forest and its settlements,  confidently led us along woody forest paths thick with crisp autumnal leaves and was amazingly knowledgeable about everything we saw.  He knew exactly which tree to look under, which pile of leaves to disturb and which rotten stump to look more closely at to find mushrooms; he  even knew their Latin names.

all sorts of fungi

Since my own foray to the Kastamonu Market where those startling  orange çintar mushrooms were so plentiful, mushrooms are now on my radar. I realise I know more or less nothing about them.  Did you know that they have no nutrition whatsoever? And that there are so many varieties in colours ranging from tawny brown to pale purple, yellow and creamy beige?  We also learnt that what we see above ground is only a fraction of the system underground and that mushrooms are essential to the ecology of forest life. Another fascinating fact: mushrooms are not a Moslem thing which explains why you hardly see any interesting varieties around. The people are wary of wild mushrooms.

 But then so am I.

I bought a different type last weekend from the same market, washed and trimmed them at home, and then just for the hell of it, nibbled a little piece of one: it was vile, I spat it out! So bitter! I threw the lot in the bin but who knows, the bitterness might have cooked away if I had been brave enough.  

look at this beauty

Our guide told us that in fact he never buys his mushrooms from the markets as the villagers don’t really know about them.  They often boil them to get rid of any bitterness but I can’t imagine that’s very good for taste or consistency.  The way they’re handled is very important: only ever collect them in baskets not plastic bags!

the only people we met: some villagers collecting mushrooms

the pretty delicate pleats are known as gills

autumn in the Belgrade Forest

If you're interested in doing similar day trips within Istanbul or longer ones to other places of historical and archaeological interest both inside and outside Turkey, contact:

ARIT (American Research  Institute Turkey) on (0212) 257 8111.

Our guide for the day was Gencer Emiroğlu.

Annual DOBAG Rug Sale in Istanbul

For those of us who live in Istanbul, one of the highlights of the year is the  DOBAG rug sale which always coincides with the Christmas Bazaar at the Alman Lisesi round the corner. Yesterday I was asked if I could put a reminder on my blog about it and as we are keen supporters of this project, I of course said yes! 

 DOBAG is a Turkish acronym for the Natural Dye Research and Development Project.

These carpets are the result of an  idea initiated some 30 years ago by Dr Harald Böhmer, a chemistry teacher at Marmara University at that time. The aim  was ‘to preserve and facilitate the production of traditional Turkish carpets within the context of Turkish village life’ and he succeeded admirably.  Only natural dyes are used and the resultant  colours glow like jewels. The carpets are renowned for their glorious  blues, reds, and greens; the pile is thick and luxurious.

They are woven in villages surrounding two centres, Ayvacık and Manisa. We are very familiar with the Ayvacık centre as it is close to Assos where we go in the summer. We know the people and I have visited the villages to see where the looms are located and met some of the women who do the weaving.  We always attend this sale and invariably end up buying one or two.  Last year we actually bought five so perhaps we should keep away this year!

WHEN:  Saturday 1st December from 9.30 – 16.30 and Sunday 2nd from 12.00 – 16.00.

WHERE:  the Crimean Church ( go down the street beside the Swedish Consulate and down and left from the German High School at the Tünel end of İstiklal Caddesi, Beyoğlu). There is a handy metro stop there.

For more information, contact Linda Robinson on  yapmaya@yahoo.com

Click here to read more about the DOBAG Rug  project.

Cabbage Rolls with Bulgur Antakya-style/ Bulgurlu Lahana Sarma

cabbage rolls/ lahana sarma

I bought a cookbook last week on the strength of one picture and it was  of this dish.

The book itself – Antakya: City and Cuisine  by Jale Balcı -  looked beautiful filled as it is with enticing colour pictures not only of food but the old streets and neighbourhoods reflecting the cultural diversity and history of this ancient city which we know as  Antioch. It has so fired our enthusiasm that we are now planning a trip there in the spring.

Antakya is in the south of Turkey with Syria as its very close neighbour. It's one of Turkey’s oldest inhabited regions going back to 5000 BC and is renowned for its cuisine which results from its rich heritage of Seljuk, Arab, Ottoman and Western influences as well as its Central Asian  origins. It’s a spicy cuisine too: thyme , sumac, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, red pepper, black pepper, coriander, grape or date burr – I don’t know this one - and sesame  are all commonly used.  Bulgur seems to be a very prevalent ingredient which suits me. Many of the dishes have extraordinary names like Lahmi Le Varka or meat in paper; Mreyşuşi , a spinach and bulgur dish; and Öcce which are fritters made with courgettes.

beautiful fresh mint for this recipe

Of course the concept of  cabbage rolls or lahana sarma is typically Turkish but they wouldn’t be prepared in this way. These contain no meat so traditionally would be eaten cold or zeytinyağlı. These ones however are cooked with bulgur – most unusual as normally rice is used – and eaten either hot or warm as a main course. I love the simplicity of the ingredients: what is there after all? Only cabbage and bulgur  with spices and fresh herbs. I found the specified amount of salt insufficient so add more at your discretion!

pure pomegranate molasses from the Kastamonu Market:
absolutely delicious

 The pomegranate molasses or syrup is a very important ingredient here. Apparently in Antakya, children pour it onto their olives and tomatoes as well as  dip their bread into it for breakfast. A far cry from cornflakes!  I think nar ekşisi can now be found relatively easily outside Turkey. Inside Turkey buy it from the local markets if you can: this is the season when the villagers make it. Otherwise there are all the commercial brands available in the supermarkets but they contain additives.

 

Of course the first challenge was the cabbage. Believe it or not, this was the smallest one my local greengrocer could offer me! It was a beauty but huge! When I was cutting it up the kitchen was awash with cabbage leaves. This was the hardest part of the entire procedure! There was loads left over which I have given away.

my monster cabbage

 

Ingredients for Cabbage Rolls with Bulgur or Bulgurlu Lahana Sarma

Serves 6

1 medium-sized head of cabbage

cut out any thick stalks

 

For the Stuffing

1 ½ cups bulgur (cracked wheat)

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

10 sprigs parsley, finely cut

5 sprigs mint, finely cut

1 tbsp tomato paste + 1 tsp mixed with the water for the cooking

1 tsp black pepper

½ tsp cumin/ kimyon

1 tsp salt

6 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses/nar ekşisi (pron: ekshisee)

*For the Sauce

1 ½ cups olive oil

5 cloves garlic

Dried mint

Method

·         Separate the cabbage leaves and plunge them, 5 at a time, for 3-4 minutes in boiling water. Drain and cool. Cut out any hard veins if necessary. If the leaf is very large, cut in half.

what a splendid mixture

 

·         In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the stuffing minus the 1 tsp tomato paste with your hands. Take one cabbage leaf, add some of the stuffing mixture and roll up. In these sarma, the ends are not folded in but left open.  Place carefully in layers in the pan.

preparing the sarma, and the final cooked ones

·         Add just enough water mixed with the tsp tomato paste to cover the rolls. Cover the pan with the lid and cook over low heat for approx 25 mins or until the bulgur is cooked. (test a grain or two). Add more water if necessary.

 

·         To serve, gently heat the olive oil and add the garlic. Cook briefly and then add the dried mint. Drizzle over the cooked cabbage rolls and serve.



afiyet olsun!

 

Tips

1.   Gently squeeze each sarma as you finish rolling so that the leaf stays in place. Trim the ends if they look a bit raggedy. You’ll find they retain their shape beautifully.

 

2.   *I couldn’t bring myself to use all that olive oil for the sauce. It’s up to you how much you want to use. I also didn’t use the 5 garlic cloves.

3.   But overall, this makes a mighty nice  vegetarian supper dish! I served it to Turkish friends a few nights ago and they were most impressed! Try it and see.

 

I am a Versatile Blogger!

Yesterday I was so chuffed. Today I am doubly so. I was nominated not once but twice for the Versatile Blogger Award!

The first nomination came from the blog Pul Biber (with Everything) which means Flaked Red Pepper with everything.  This is actually a new blog for me and now I’ve found it, I  know I'm going to enjoy it. It's written by an English couple who now live in Turkey and they sound very nice.  I actually fell upon it by total chance as one does in the wonderful world of blogging.  Imagine how chuffed I was to see my blog in their list of recipients! Amazing that I found it! Thank you, Hilary and Ashley.

Now, there are strings attached to this award: recipients must formally accept the award with a post featuring the award’s image, reveal seven quirky things about themselves and pass the baton on to 5-15 other bloggers to do the same.

And along came surprise No 2: I went to one of my favourite blogs of all, Istanbul's Stranger just to check if she had also received the award as I was going to nominate her myself. What should I see: not only had she indeed been nominated but she had further nominated my blog too! Thank you, Sarah. Her blog makes me laugh out loud and her creativity leaves me breathless.

So I am doubly versatile!

The trouble is that I am the very last person you could call quirky. Versatile yes, quirky no. Hmmm. I just am not. Plus TT is not in favour of revealing personal info on the internet so I have to watch it. So these are not going to be dramatic, all right?

Here goes:

ü  I have lived longer in Turkey than anywhere else in my life and that’s a very long time!

ü  My mother was French, my father was English, and my husband is Turkish! Oh yes, and my sister is married to an American!

ü  I am no good with pets. We tried all sorts when the children were young but with no success.

ü  I am also pretty hopeless with technological stuff although if I apply myself, I generally get there (laboriously) in the end.

ü  I sleep with a torch and whistle on my bedside table just in case there is an earthquake.

ü  I prefer  savoury to sweet any time.

ü  My idea of a great time is having grilled fish on the beach with some cold white wine on a beautiful balmy evening in Assos. Not exactly quirky but still.

And I hereby pass on the baton to five of my favourite blogs and bloggers:

• October Farm

• Heike Knits

• Miss Betsy’s Tee-Tiny Tennessee Kitchen

• Cali’nin Mutfağı

• My Turkish Joys

and hope they enjoy being Versatile Bloggers too!

Lamb in Yogurt /Yoğurtlu Kuzu Eti

Here is another simple  but delicious supper dish  that I made the other night.

lamb in yogurt/yoğurtlu kuzu eti

The ingredients are not fancy:  kuşbaşı lamb with chopped onion and  tomatoes but it’s the flavouring that makes it: thyme, cinnamon and black pepper.  How do you like that combination?  I was also attracted by the idea of the yogurt topping since the yogurt here is quite simply the best in the world! I especially mean Tikveşli which is an absolute staple in our fridge. Any meal with that in it is a winner as far as I am concerned.

ready for the oven

It is the kind of meal that improves with time ie it can sit very happily in the fridge for  a couple of days and the taste gets  better and the meat somehow becomes  even more tender.

Here is the recipe for Lamb in Yogurt/Yoğurtlu Kuzu Eti

(from Filiz Zorlu's Bizim Evde Pişenler)

Serves 6

1 kg cubed lamb/kuşbaşı kuzu eti

1 onion, chopped

3 ripe tomatoes,skinned and chopped ( I used a jar of my bottled summer tomatoes)

2 cups plain yogurt

1 tbsp flour

1 tsp seasoned salt/ tuzot

here's what Turkish seasoned salt/tuzot looks like

1 tsp thyme (I used dried)/ kekik

¼ tsp cinnamon/ tarçin

¼ tsp black pepper

A little oil for sautéing

Method

·         Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F.

·         Sauté the meat and the onion together in the oil for 10 mins over medium heat.

·         Add the chopped tomatoes, seasoned salt, cinnamon and black pepper and cook until the liquid from the meat has been absorbed.

the tomatoes really are that vivid colour!

·         Sprinkle the mixture with the thyme and place in an ovenprooof baking dish. Mix the yogurt and flour together and pour over the meat mixture.

all set minus the topping

mixing the flour and yogurt

·         Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 mins.

serve with rice and a green salad

                                                                      

Afiyet olsun!

Tips

1.       The success of this dish depends on your meat being really tender so check with your butcher! Also taste a bit at the end of the cooking before putting in the ovenproof dish. If the meat is still not as tender as you would like, cook further, adding a little water if necessary.

2.       My bottled tomatoes are coming in really useful now that we are back to the hard, tasteless variety.  The smell and taste of those summer Çanakkale tomatoes gives me immense satisfaction as well as reminding me of Assos.  All that chopping was definitely worth it! I am happy to report that the sterilizing process was 100% successful this time: the jars open with a satisfying pop every time!